Elkana and Rivka Buhbut Say Their Pregnancy Is Their Victory Over Hamas
After 37-year-old Elkana Buhbut spent a long period in Hamas captivity, his wife Rivka, 35, became a public face of the campaign for his release. In an earlier interview, she said she already wanted another child. Two months ago, six months after Elkana came home, the couple announced they were expecting a second child, a girl, and that the baby would join their 6-year-old son, Ram.
Rivka said the idea of another child became especially urgent during Sukkot last year, when she and Ram were staying in a hotel in Tiberias. Ram told her he was sad that all the other children had siblings and he did not. She said she told him they were waiting for his father, because she could not give him a brother alone, and that was emotionally overwhelming. That same night, she said, Donald Trump announced the release of Elkana and the other hostages. Elkana said that after two years in captivity, he often thought about not returning and about Ram not having a brother or sister. Rivka also said he had suggested having another child two months before the kidnapping, but she delayed it because she had only recently stopped breastfeeding Ram, at age three.
The pregnancy came as a surprise, Rivka said, especially because getting pregnant with Ram took a year and included a miscarriage. She said she was initially frightened by the hormonal changes while still supporting Elkana and Ram, but then decided to focus on what she called the family’s real victory, bringing life. She told Elkana two days later, on New Year’s Eve, by giving him a box containing a baby shoe and the test. He, she said, shouted with joy. Elkana called it “a dream” and “a miracle,” adding, “Our enemy does not want us to expand and multiply, that is what hurts him most, and my victory over them is this pregnancy.”
In March, Elkana marked his 37th birthday, his first after captivity. Plans for a party at Tel Aviv’s Shipudey HaMekubalim club were changed because of the Iranian attack, so the celebration moved to a loft near a shelter. He said it was the first time he allowed himself to dance since the Nova massacre, out of respect for murdered friends and fellow partygoers. He has also published a book, “738 Days in Hamas Captivity,” written with Eli Halifa, describing his journey from the party to release.
Despite the family joy, both say the recovery is only beginning. Rivka said, “It is a miracle that Elkana is here, I am not allowed to complain, but that does not mean they came back and the story ended.” Elkana said, “The nightmare is not over for me,” describing night terrors, insomnia, and trauma that affects even eating. He says staying active helps him cope, and he is devoting himself to memorial work, advocacy, meetings, lectures, and installations around the world.
